The multiple changes at the board level were finalised by Bayern Munich this week. Jan-Christian Dressen replaced Oliver Kahn as the new CEO, while Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was added to the supervisory committee. The Bavarian club will continue to work on finding a new sporting director after the departure of Hasan Salihamidzic.
Die Roten may not have a sporting director in place for the upcoming summer transfer window. Dressen, Uli Hoeness, Thomas Tuchel, and Rummenigge will work together on getting the deals over the line. The Bavarian club has identified midfield and attack as the key areas to address in the summer.
West Ham United’s Declan Rice has emerged as the top target for improving the midfield options. The English midfielder is the ideal player for Thomas Tuchel in the number six position. Bayern is not the favourite to sign Rice, but they will try to convince him to seal a move to Munich in the summer.
Meanwhile, Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic has been heavily linked with a move to Bavaria. The Serbian striker will fill the void left by Robert Lewandowski in the number nine position. While talking to AZ, Lothar Matthaus admitted that Bayern had identified the right players to improve attack and midfield.
“Thomas Tuchel has apparently indicated he would like to have a different type of player, a successor to Javi Martínez: strong in the air, strong in tackles, robust, a bit different from Kimmich. They are looking for a more aggressive leader. Rice has a lot of experience, he’s not the captain of West Ham United and an England international for nothing.”
Matthaus also insisted that Vlahovic would fit in well at Bayern. He believes that Vlahovic is a dangerous player in the box, and the Serbian forward reminds him of young Romelu Lukaku. Die Roten has reportedly opened talks with Juventus to explore the signing of Dusan Vlahovic.
The signing of Vlahovic will be more realistic for Die Roten since Juventus will most likely sell him to settle the books. The Serbian striker has struggled with form and injuries during his second season in Turin. Juventus will need to raise funds to strengthen the squad after missing out on Champions League football for next season. Vlahovic will be the player that can get them enough funds to strengthen other positions.
Meanwhile, the English media has suggested that Rice may prefer to stay in England. The 24-year-old midfielder has been heavily linked with Arsenal, while Manchester United has also shown interest in Rice. West Ham and Rice will look at all options once their season ends against Fiorentina in Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.
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Apart from adding a player in midfield and attack, Die Roten may also have to sign at least one center-back in the summer. Benjamin Pavard has rejected a new deal, while Lucas Hernandez is leaning towards a move to Paris-Saint Germain. Both defenders may end up leaving in the summer since they have 12 months left on their current contracts.